It’s been thirty years today since The X-Files graced our TV screens and changed the television landscape. Notably one of the longest-running science fiction series in network TV history, the series centers on FBI special agents investigating unexplained cases dubbed “X-Files.” Though the government is convinced that the outlandish reports are false, conspiracy theorist Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and realist Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are on a mission to prove that “the truth is out there.” Premiering September 10, 1993, Chris Carter’s original 202-episode run took pop culture by storm. The original series ended in 1998, spawned two feature films and revival seasons in 2016 and 2018. With multiple Emmy and Golden Globe wins and a cult following, the show has firmly planted itself as a mainstay of pop culture.
I am currently at a massive X-Files convention in Minnesota to celebrate the show’s birthday. But before I left, I scored interviews with series creator Chris Carter and executive producer Frank Spotnitz. We talked about how the show has shaped the world over thirty years and how the world shaped the show.
Happy birthday, X-Files!
If you’re craving more X-Files to celebrate, check out our Most Terrifying Monsters of The Week countdown and Diana Prince’s in-depth look at “Home,” the X-Files episode that originally aired in October of 1996 before being banned from Fox.
